Tag: song structure

Categories
Songwriting

Songwriting: Learning by Listening to The Masters

If you take a songwriting class, the first thing you will learn is to read the top 40 charts in your chosen genre, and then listen to the chart-topping songs over and over for analyzation and to get songwriting ideas. You will be encouraged to listen to similarities in all of the songs and watch for format.

If you are just starting out, there is nothing wrong with taking a shell of a song and then replacing the words with your own words. That is a great tool for learning how to write melodies rhythmically and formulating words together to fit a specific meter, but a bad idea if you are planning to publish the song—because you can get sued.

As a child, I learned by becoming a junior Weird Al Yankovic. I would take famous songs on the radio and change the words to something silly. And then I would perform them for my older sister and her friends and they thought I was hilarious. I dreamed of performing them for the world to see (too bad Youtube was not invented yet!)

If you are a musician, you start by learning theory, learning what chords go together, and then putting together a chord pattern to be a foundation for a lyrical melody. If you don’t play an instrument, you can guide your musical partner by verbally sharing your melody idea. A good place to start is by listening to songs in your genre and start dissecting the melody from the bare lyrics. What works? What doesn’t? As I mentioned in a previous article, sometimes it is easiest to start with a chorus, because that is what your song is about.

Like any bit of writing, you learn the most by watching others, dissecting their work to see why it works or why it doesn’t, and then implementing what you learn. Most recorded albums start from a pool of about thirty songs, and then are narrowed down to fourteen or less to sell to the public. And usually, the pool of thirty songs come from a songbook of about 100 songs scribbled in the writer’s songbook journal.

If you want to be a songwriter, write every single day. Keep a songwriter journal where you jot down your ideas, possible lyrics, melodies, themes, poems, etc. Your songs may suck at first. But writing every day is how you get better. Just like exercising your physical muscles, your growth comes from exercising your writing muscle. I usually write a notebook full of songs per year—most aren’t even complete. And sometimes I pull a Frankenstein where I take two or three songs I wrote and combine them.

When U2 wrote their hit song, Beautiful Day, they actually wrote another song using the exact same music, but with completely different lyrics and melody. Then they chose which melody and chorus they liked for the album best after listening to both versions over and over and over. The band Jars of Clay did the same thing on their If I Left the Zoo album. They made a bunch of demos with different melody lines and choruses. The final project was a culmination of taking the best part of the songs and re-writing the weakest part to improve the song or by creating Frankenstein, chopping up the best parts of two or three songs and adding them together to formulate one incredible song.

If you listen to Jars of Clay’s studio album, If I Left the Zoo, and then again listen to their limited demo album (if you can find it) called White Elephant Sessions, you will hear the same songs, but with different verses, choruses, or melodies. They are letting you in on their songwriting process. After the time slaved to write the physical songwriting portion and then playing the song at many rehearsals comes the recorded demo. Bands will listen to their demo a thousand times, get feedback, and then put the song in the hands of a polished producer to rewrite the song and record the final, polished version. Sometimes that version is an entirely different song from conception.

Whether you are writing songs, novels, or screenplays, the biggest key to survival is being fluid and giving yourself (and producers, editors, publishers, directors, agents, etc.) permission to let go and change what you have written to make it better.

Write it. Step away. Visit it again. Rewrite it. Step away. Rewrite it again.

Don’t marry your first version or first draft. That’s like marrying the first person you ever had a crush on, which may work, but more than not, it can be naïve and suicidal. I know both screenwriters and songwriters who lost a job because they wouldn’t give producers or directors flexibility to change their work.

Do you have a songwriting topic you would like me to discuss? Let me know at matthewhawkeldridge@yahoo.com! Get that songwriting journal and start writing!

Matthew Hawk Eldridge is a coffee loving, calico-cat hugging, Renaissance man. When he’s not passionately penning screenplays or stories rich in musical history, he’s writing songs on his guitar or working on a film as an actor, double, musician, or stand-in. He is a Creative Writing graduate student at Full Sail University.

Categories
Songwriting

(Writing the) Bridge of Freedom

Last month, we discussed writing a song from a premise, and how our premise will dictate what we want the song to say in the verses and chorus. I shared how the chorus is the theme of the song. It tells us what the song is really about, and how the verses support that theme. That is why we will return to the chorus and repeat it, but not the verses.

There are plenty of songs out there with a great melody tied between good verses and a strong chorus. However, a good number of great songs contain a bridge of some sort, and this is where freedom comes in, because a bridge can go in any direction. The only thing that limits a bridge is that the entire song needs to be between three to four and a half minutes long for airplay.

If verses support the chorus, and the chorus tells us what the main theme of the song is about, then the bridge can act as another statement, either equally as important as the chorus, or as another group of supportive lyrics, encouraging the chorus theme from another angle, or it can usurp the chorus and be the true ultimate statement of the theme. This usually happens if the bridge is at the end of a song.

The bridge can also act as a place of reflection, allowing it to be a musical interlude with a different melody than the verses or chorus. Or, it can even be a statement that totally contradicts the chorus, as if the songwriter is conflicted in what he wants or believes. Add contradictory chords to an already contradictory lyric and you can create the conflicted chaotic mood the songwriter wants the bridge to have. Remember the emo days? I usually go to a minor chord if I’m creating conflict, or a positive sounding, full, major chord if I’m being climatic. I also play with instrumentation or pianissimo or forte’ to make my point stronger and have the bridge stand out. This is the beauty of the bridge! Do what you want!

Whereas most songs in pop culture follow a generic pattern overall, the bridge itself can be inserted in a variety of places. It can also be written for a variety of reasons—to either support the chorus, to be the final statement, to reflect, or to contradict. It can be any length (within reason) you want it to be. It can be a single line, a couple of measures, or hijack the end of the song. And sometimes songs can have two bridges in their short four minutes. However, the majority of bridges are extremely short, under a full stanza.

Let’s take a look at the chorus for of the song, I Won’t Let You Go, by the band, Switchfoot. If you have never heard the song, I suggest you listen to it.

Jon Foreman does a wonderful job interweaving two different bridges into the mix: the first one acting as a quick, reflective period, the second one coming at the end of the song and making a final, ultimate statement. Before we evaluate the bridge, let’s review the chorus.

Chorus:

 If you could only let your guard down / You could learn to trust me somehow /
I swear, that I won’t let you go /
If you could only let go your doubts / If you could just believe in me now /
I swear, that I won’t let you go / I won’t let you go

Without reading the verses, we can see the song is about someone telling us that they won’t let us go. The song is about trusting God to not let us go.

The first bridge starts at around 2:47 and is just one simple line before jumping back into the chorus for a third time.

Bridge 1

I’ll always be by your side…

It’s simple, short, and sweet, and makes a strong point: I’ll always be there for you. Nothing else needed.

After singing the chorus for the third time, the music takes an octane boost and becomes louder and stronger, which compliments the second bridge. These are the final words of the song and ultimately tells us that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God.

Bridge 2

There ain’t no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heart /
There ain’t no strength that’s strong enough that could tear this love apart /

Never gonna let you go / Never gonna let you go

 If you are writing songs, the bridge is what can add dimension and take your song up a notch. After writing the meat of your song, I would suggest playing around with trying different bridges. Strangely enough, sometimes the bridge is the hardest part to write because there is so much freedom. Happy writing!

What aspect of songwriting would you like to hear next? Feel free to contact me and let me know.

Matthew Hawk Eldridge is a sleepless, coffee addicted, Renaissance man. When he’s not passionately penning screenplays or stories rich in musical history, he’s writing songs on his guitar or working on a film as an actor, double, songwriter, or musician. He is a Creative Writing graduate student at Full Sail University.

Categories
Songwriting

Understanding Songwriting Structure

If you have been following my articles on songwriting, perhaps you’re ready to write your first song. There are a few guidelines I would like to show you to get you started. Much like a haiku or even a piece of flash or hint fiction, there’s a definite pattern to successful songwriting, and your verbiage is limited. One of the biggest amateur mistakes is to write a song over five minutes, especially if that song contains little structure or design. Sure, it has happened, but rarely since the 1800’s.

Let’s start with the premise of the song. What is your song about? What is it you are trying to say? What is your point? Without a premise, you lose focus of what you are writing or why you are writing it. Think about it, you only have a few lines of chorus to truly say what you want to say, and then a few stanzas of poetry to support that chorus. Your words have to be carefully chosen: much like a haiku: much like a twenty-five word hint fiction.

Our premise becomes our song’s logline. It’s a song about what? It’s a song about a sinner who finds Jesus?  It’s a song about a man who lost his wife? It’s a song about a father having a hard time seeing his little princess grow up and get married? Once you have your logline of a song, you can develop your chorus idea. You don’t have to perfect your chorus at this point. You just want the chorus idea down.

There are literally 3 parts to a great song. There’s the verse, the chorus, and the bridge. We’ve talked about the chorus. The chorus supports the premise or the theme of your song.  The verse is what gives us the story. The verse paints different pictures that give the chorus credibility. Most songs on the radio have one or two verses then a chorus, followed by another verse or two, then the chorus. Let’s take a look at one of my recent, favorite songs called All My Hope, by David Crowder.

Studying the structure of a song

As we can see in the first verse, David gives us an introduction to our lead character, in first person.

I’ve been held by the savior / I’ve felt fire from above / I’ve been down to the river / I ain’t the same—a prodigal returned

In four simple lines (most verses are four lines), we learn who he is. But we still don’t know the premise or theme of the song. These four lines lead to that, which is found in the chorus. So what is our song about? Let’s see what David wrote for the chorus:

All my hope is in Jesus / Thank God my yesterday’s gone / All my sins are forgiven / I’ve been washed by the blood

Ah! Now we understand what the song is about! It’s about being forgiven! It’s about erasing the past through the blood of Jesus! It’s about the hope in Jesus that makes it all possible! That’s the premise! Jesus washes away our sins so we can be forgiven!

But then he moves on to the second verse to give us a little bit more into the story and description. The first verse was an introduction to who he is. The chorus told us the premise. The second verse now tells us a little more about who he is. No more need for introductions, this is him, wide open.

I’m no stranger to the prison / I’ve worn shackles and chains / But I’ve been freed and forgiven / I’m not going back—I’ll never be the same

This poetic verse makes you want to clap for him, doesn’t it? It’s a proclamation. The first two lines tell us a little deeper about his sin, the second two lines reminds us of the premise, supporting the chorus! Now we jump back into the chorus, with even more gusto!

If we lay out our structure, we have an ABAB pattern. It’s simple. A is the verses, B is the chorus. David adds another B for emphasis. This song reads, ABABB. The total length of this song is just over three minutes. For playability on radio, songs must be at least 3 minutes, but under five minutes. The target is between three to four minutes. However, if you listen to praise and worship, that’s often not going to happen, unless they make a radio friendly version of the song. There have been album versions of worship songs that are over 10 minutes long, albeit, the actual lyrical portion was under five.

Next month, we’ll talk about a little more advanced songwriting—adding the bridge and the purpose of it. Is there a songwriting topic you would like to discuss? Please feel free to write me at matthewhawkeldridge@gmail.com

 

Matthew Hawk Eldridge is a sleepless, coffee addicted, Renaissance man currently working in the film industry while attending grad school for creative writing. His latest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, can be found on Amazon. His album, Overcome, releases June 1st.